“Chinese New Year is always about family. Our CNY traditions have vastly evolved over the years as we grew up. When we were young, our parents used to take us to their friends’ homes to bai leen [give our best wishes] and collect lai see. I remember learning about basic money management concepts and the importance of saving as a result of these customs. My mum opened bank accounts for us and would deposit our lai see money in there each year.
By the time we were about eight years old, we learned to play the famous card game Chor Dai Dee, or Big Two as it’s called in English. In our teenage years we used to go to an aunty’s home where she or my mother would take turns to be the banker and we’d try to win money. We would play all sorts of card games from Big Small, to Blackjack betting with our lai see money. Small bets, of course. I’m happy to report that, today, none of us have a gambling addiction.